Telematics units within mobile vehicles provide subscribers with connectivity to a telematics service provider (TSP). The TSP provides subscribers with an array of services ranging from emergency call handling and stolen vehicle recovery to diagnostics monitoring, global navigation system aided position identification, map services, and turn-by-turn navigation assistance. Telematics units are often provisioned and activated at a point of sale when a subscriber purchases a telematics-equipped vehicle. Upon activation, the telematics unit can be utilized to provide a subscriber with telematics services such as those described herein.
When the ignition of the mobile vehicle is off, the vehicle is placed into a powered-down discontinuous-reception (DRx) or standby state (also called a sleep cycle). Vehicle hardware, such as a telematics unit, may be placed into the standby state or DRx cycle to minimize power drain on the vehicle battery. Even while vehicle hardware is in the standby state or DRx cycle, a network access device (NAD) of the vehicle may consume power while searching for signal or waiting for a command, draining the vehicle's battery.
During standby, the NAD is active and able to receive wireless communications. DRx cycles include both time where the NAD is off and unable to receive wireless communications, as well as time where the NAD is on and able to receive commands wirelessly. During standby and DRx periods, service requests—such as maintenance and diagnostic functions, system updates, vehicle position determination, unlocking of the doors, or vehicle alarm silencing—may be sent to the telematics unit when the NAD is on, and the telematics unit causes appropriate vehicle hardware to be turned on to perform the requested service. DRx cycles consume power, and after a certain amount of time, the vehicle may end the DRx period and switch to an off mode. After being switched to an off mode, the vehicle hardware becomes unavailable for communication.
Conventionally, vehicles are assigned a predetermined standby and DRx schedule that they follow each time the vehicle ignition is shut off, with the vehicles eventually being completely switched to an off mode after the DRx cycles are complete. However, such predetermined DRx schedules do not account for the variability of user behavior and the needs of particular users at particular times.
The above body of information is provided for the convenience of the reader. The foregoing describes a suitable environment for which the described system and method are provided, and is not an attempt to review or catalog the prior art.